Lighting system for automobiles



HMW, 7 [20 R. VARLEY.

LIGHTING SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOBILES. APPLICATION FILED DEC.26, 1919.

7 Patentd May 31,1921;

III

W I BY I ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT orricc.

RICHARD VARLEY, OF ENGLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO VARLEY DUPLEX MAGNET COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSE Specification of Letters Patent.

: LIGHTING SYS'l'Ell/I FOR ATl'lOIv/IOBILES.

application filed December 26, 1919. Serial No. 347,412. g

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD VARLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Englewood, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lighting Systems for Automobiles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to lighting systems for automobiles and the like, this application being divisional of my application Serial Number 324,450, filed September 18th, 1919. An object of my invention'is to provide automatic means for dimming the lights when the car is standing still and there is no occasion to illuminate the road ahead, and for restoring the lamps to full brilliancy when the automobile is running.

In accordance with my invention I employ a suitable resistance in the lighting circuit which is automatically eliminated-when the engine is running. This may be effected by arranging a resistance permanently in the circuit and employing a shunt around the resistance which is open when the engine is still and is automatically closed when the engine is running. Preferably thisautomatic dimming feature is suitably combined with the usual manual means for inserting or cutting out a resistance from the lighting circuit, and the contacts may be so arranged that both systems may be conveniently controlled by a manual switch which in one position puts the automatic system into operation and in another position puts the manu ally controlled system into operation, while in a third position the lighting circuit is open.

I shall now describe the illustrated embodiment of my invention and shall there after point out my invention in claims.

Figure 1 is a plan of a device embodying my invention with the lighting circuit shown diagrammatically. 1 i

Fig. 2 is a'section'al elevation of the same.

In the illustrated construction a movable contact member 1 in the lighting circuit which cooperates with a stationary contact 2 is controlled by an engine operated lever 3 in a manner hereinafter described. A rotative manually controlled switch 1 is arranged to engage a stationary contact 5 which is connected to the lamps 6 in parallel through conductors 7 and 8, or when rotated in the opposite direction is adapted to com ductively bridge a contact segment 9 and either contact 10 or 11 which are themselves connected through resistance 12, the contact 11 being connected to the lamps through conductors 13 and 8.

To effect an automatic dimming of the lights when the engine is not running and to effect full illumination when the engine'is running, the manual switch 4, will be placed in contact with stationary contact 5. The movable contact 1 is biased by a spring 141 to open position, and the controlling lever 3 is also biased by a spring 15 to the non-operating position shown in Fig. 1. l/Vhen the engine is running the lever 3 is rotated against its bias and the contact member 1 is moved to closed contact position.

' W hen the engine is not running and the contact member is in open contact position, the circuit through the lamps is as follows:

from the battery 16 through conductors 17 conductors 7 and 8 through the lamps to ground. Since this circuit does not include the resistance 19 the lamps will be bright.

If this automatic dimming feature is not desired, the system may be converted to the usual manually controlled system by turning the switch 4E to connect the segmental contact 9 selectively with contacts 10 and 11. If it is desired to dim the lights, the switch 4 is turned to the contact 10, the lighting circuit then being as follows: from battery 16 through conductors 17 and 18, segmental contact 9, switch 4:, contact 10, resistance 12, contact 11, and conductor 15 through the lamps in parallel to ground. If it is desired to give the lamps full illumination, the switch 4 is turned to contact 11, whereupon the circuit is the same as previously described with the exception of the elimination of the resistance 12.

While any suitable actuating means may be employed for operating the lever 3- when the engine is running, I have, for the pur- Patented May 31, 1921. Original application No. 324,450, filed September 18, 1919. Divided and this pose of illustration, shown a transmission device similar to that shown in my original application above referred to. A vertical operating shaft 22 is connected to be rotated by the engine. Secured to this shaft and rotated therewith is the primary member of the transmission. This primary member comprises an annular metallic cup shaped member 23, secured axially upon the shaft 22 immediately above a suitable antifriction bearing in a platform or horizontal wall 24 of the housing 25. The secondary member 26 rests on top of the primary member and is an annulus provided at its inner edge with a hub portion which loosely surrounds the center portion of the primary member, and therefore is free to turn thereon. A suitable cover 27 incloses the device.

The primary member 23 is provided with a plurality of concentric flanges 23 intermediate to which are similar depending flanges 26 on the secondary member. The device is partially filled with oil or other liquid to couple the two members and transmit a torque to the secondary member. An abutment 28 is provided on the secondary member 26 in position to engage the end of the lever Since the shaft 22 and the primary member 23 are rotated by the engine in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1, it follows that when the engine starts it will drag the secondary member in a clockwise direction and that the abutment 28 will rotate the lever 3 on its pivot against the tension of the spring 15 and thereby move the contact member v1 to closed contact position. When the engine stops and the drag on the abutment 28 is eliminated, the spring 15 retracts the lever 3 and the contact member is moved to open contact position by the spring 14.

It is manifest that my invention is in no wise limited to the construction shown in the drawings and above particularly described and that my invention may be variously otherwise embodied without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I-claim:

1. A lighting system for motor driven vehicles comprising a lamp and a circuit therefor including a source of electric current, a resistance in the circuit, a motor driven element, and means controlled by the motor driven element for eliminating the resistance while the motor is running.

2. A lighting system for motor driven vehicles comprising a lamp and a circuit therefor including a source of electric current, a resistance in the circuit, a motor driven element, a shunt around the resistance including a normally open contact, and means actuated by the motor driven element for closing the contact.

A lighting system for motor driven vehicles comprising a lamp and a circuit therefor including a source of electric current, a resistance in the circuit, a shunt around the resistance including a movable contact having a bias to open position, an operating member for the movable contact operative to close the contact and having a bias to non-operative position, a motor driven element, and means actuated by the motor driven element for moving the operating member to operative position.

4. A lighting system for motor driven vehi es comprising a lamp and a circuit therefor including a source of electric current, a resistance in the circuit, a shunt around the resistance including a movable contact having a bias to open position, a pivoted lever adapted to engage the movable contact with one end and move it to closed position, a retractile spring operative to normally retract the lever, and a motor-operated device for actuating the lever including a rotative primary member'oonnected to be driven by the motor and a rotative secondary member arranged to have a drag imparted to it by the primary member and operatively connected to the lever.

5. A lighting system for motor driven vehicles comprising a lamp, a circuit therefor including a source of electric current and a manually controlled switch, a resistance in the circuit, a shunt around the resistance including a normally open contact, a motor driven clement, means actuated by the motor driven element for closing the contact, a branch circuit for the lamp, and a resistance arranged to be included in the branch circuit. the switch being arranged in control of the branch circuit and operative in one position to include the latter resistance and in another position to exclude the latter resistance. the first named circuit being open in both of said positions of the switch.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my signature.

RICHARD VARLEY. 

